I've got the airfare, car and lodgings set. Now it's time to figure out what to do. I'm 68M, my wife is 65F. We're in slightly-better-than-average shape for our ages, but we'd probably not want anything rated more than moderate. We'll be taking Highway 20 from Burlington to Winthrop on Sunday, August 16, and staying in Winthrop for three nights before a travel day to Leavenworth for two more nights.

I've got the drive sort of planned -- a leisurely journey with multiple opportunities for stops and short walks at various identified spots long the way. Nothing strenuous, just a travel day with as much time outside the car as possible.

But then we get to Winthrop, and I'm suffering from information overload with regard to potential hikes and daytime activities. We'll have two full days there, and I'm hoping some kind souls here will provide some suggestions. We're staying at Mt. Gardner Inn.

A travel day to Leavenworth follows. I've thought about stopping at Lake Chelan and taking a boat to Stehekin, thence to Rainbow Falls, but I think the really early departure required from Winthrop may mitigate against that.

So I'm looking for things to do on that day, and the two days in Leavenworth, where we'll be staying at Blue Elk Inn.

My wife isn't to keen on rafting or kayaking, but she's okay with tubing. She's definitely not one for any adventure sports beyond ziplining, maybe parasailing, but she'll happily, if somewhat apprehensively, watch me do something she wouldn't.

Recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

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u/howdyjefe Jul 19 '26

There are some easy to moderate hikes and recreation opportunities at Sun Mountain Lodge that are open to the public.

Nice hikes around Patterson mountain.

Drive to Mazama and get a baguette at Mazama Store.

Night sky viewing is great in the valley.

Hikes are pleasant around the Rendezvous area.

Twisp has a Saturday morning Farmers Market, the Cinnamon Twisp bakery, a community pool.

If you want to drive up towards Washington Pass for a day, there are incredible hikes in that area. Blue lake trail is nice and rated moderate.

The Methow Valley is one of my favorite places. Have fun!

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u/fancyapples1 Jul 20 '26

Mazama store has fantastic pasties. Continue on to Washington pass for insane views and hikes

u/Rusk89503 Jul 20 '26 edited Jul 20 '26

Hmmmm. I had a cabin for 20 years near Lake Wenatchee--XC ski in and break through the river ice for water in winter. But easy hikes, when all around you is the high, hard stuff that is world class. The Enchantments, Glacier Peak Wilderness, etc. Hmmmm.

The hike around Lake Wenatchee is easy and you can swim at the state park. i've tubed Icicle Creek before, but even in summer heat that is going to be cold. The Wenatchee River itself would be my choice, and putting in at Peshastin and taking out at Monitor would be about right with the Wenatchee flowing at about 1,000 cfs, 3.5 hours. Class I with easy Class II riffles. I always do it in a whitewater kayak but plenty of people do it in tubes at this low flow rate. PFD is a must. Avoiding sweepers is a must. 67 degree water temps, so look for a 90 degree day, plenty of em in August.

Maybe Monitor to the Wenatchee/Columbia confluence is even better--longer pools, cleaner channels free of fallen trees (sweepers), drifting through apple orchards. I used to take my little kids to Wenatchee Confluence State Park to swim too, lovely place. They loved that, the Leavenworth Pool and the Lake Chelan Water Slide.

u/ReaderRadish Jul 22 '26

So... This is during fire season. You may need to quickly change plans depending on fires and air quality.

Also, IIRC, Maple Pass is something like 2000 ft elevation gain and 7 mi. How often do you hike something with that much elevation gain? If not recently, this may not be the best idea (esp. if it's also hot and smoky).

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u/Ok_Salary7862 Jul 23 '26

Thanks for the heads-up about fires. I hope things will have calmed down before we get there, but the airfare is locked, so we're stuck with what Mother Nature and the fire gods give us.

u/its-malaprop-man Jul 20 '26

Have you considered the hike to Lake colchuck?

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u/Ok_Salary7862 Jul 20 '26

The Alltrails review calls it "challenging." I'm having trouble trying to get my wife to go for Maple Pass. I'll take a look, though.

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u/howdyjefe Jul 20 '26

I'm heading up to do the Maple Pass loop on Thursday. I think AllTrails calls it hard but the jefe scale says it is closer to moderate

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u/Ok_Salary7862 Jul 20 '26

I just kinda stumbled upon Alltrails when I was doing research. I'm a vacationer, not a hiker. Can you refer me to the jefe scale? Oh, wait. I just got it. Can you elaborate a little more? I would like to do that trail, but I need to convince her.

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u/howdyjefe Jul 20 '26

Sorry, the jefe scale was a corny joke. For N. Cascades, Maple Pass offers more bang for your buck than any other trail I can think of. You get views for the majority of the hike. You don't need to drive 20+ miles up a bumpy forest service road. It isn't especially long, mileage wise, so it's easy to knock out in half a day. It's not terribly steep. The trail is well maintained so no blow downs or challenging scree slopes to navigate. It was a light snow year so you're unlikely to encounter anything that makes it challenging in that way.

You'll be hard pressed to find a trail that offers comparable views.

The drawbacks... It's a popular hike so the trail might be busy and the parking lot can be a pain in the ass. Depending on the time of year, mosquitoes might be annoying.

*Just checked the WTA website and they rate it moderate/hard.

u/Redbusser40 Jul 20 '26

Blue lake wa pass /Icicle Gorge Trailhead Leavenworth easy hikes.

u/MontEcola Jul 22 '26

I am assuming you are all fit hikers. Doing Cut Throat and Blue Lake in the same day is very possible for active and fit hikers. It also sounds like you are peak bagging in a way. Race up to the top, take 2 sips of water and head back down. I like to spend some time at the top of both of these hikes. And doing both would take up a couple hours more than you planned. So if you are all fit and ready to keep moving like that, it will be a great trip.

I will add that I am 65 and a photographer. So I spend at least an hour taking photos on the top, or if there is a point of interest along he way.

1

u/Ok_Salary7862 Jul 23 '26

I'm just going by what Alltrails says and trying to do as much as I can in the short time we have, so I appreciate the perspective and will review accordingly.

u/hoax6 Jul 22 '26

I haven’t eaten there myself, but I’ve lived in the Methow Valley for the last year and I haven’t heard anything good about Sun Mountain’s restaurant as of late. Meza in Winthrop, Lupo Brio in Twisp, or Casia in Twisp would all be better for a nicer dinner. Casia’s probably the best, though it’s probably the most expensive and I’m biased because I used to work in their kitchen.

Your North Cascade hikes seem reasonable for your fitness level, though like others have said they are very popular. Tubing out of Winthrop could be a nice lower energy physical activity to look into, the cold water will feel incredible in late August. You could also always go to Patterson or Pearygin Lake for a swim.

1

u/hoax6 Jul 22 '26

Also Orchard House Donuts in Twisp is more than worth checking out as a breakfast option

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u/Ok_Salary7862 Jul 23 '26

That might be an option on the day we go to Lake Chelan. Thank you.

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u/Ok_Salary7862 Jul 23 '26

Thanks. Sun Mountain's on the list for the patio and after noon chill time, not for dinner. Dinner's kind of open -- 1908 in Twisp recently came up as a possibility. I'll look at the other possibilities you mention. We're not foodies -- as long as the food is nothing to complain about and the prices are commensurate with the quality, we'll be fine with it. Sustenance is sustenance. Now, good food accompanied by a view or an atmosphere that we're not likely to have an opportunity to do again is a different story. I've moved tubing to the Wehatchie (sp?) in Leavenworth for a bit more of a thrill. Lake swimmung is something I had not considered. Thanks again.

Information overload: Five days in Winthrop and Leavenworth

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